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<title>Create a Rule Flow Model [Enterprise Architect User Guide]</title>

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                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Create a Rule Flow Model</span></p>



  
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                <p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">You create a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Rule Flow Activity</span><span class="f_BodyText"> as a behavior for a Class, to enable that Class to process a set of rules.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">To add a Rule Flow Activity to a Class, follow the steps below:</span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">On the Fact Model diagram, right-click on the Class that processes the rules (in the example, </span><span class="f_NumberedList" style="font-style: italic;">Rental System</span><span class="f_NumberedList">).</span></li>
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">From the context menu select the </span><span class="f_NumberedList" style="font-weight: bold;">Add | RuleFlow Activity</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> menu option.</span></li>
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<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">A new Rule Flow Activity with a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Rule Flow diagram</span><span class="f_BodyText"> is created as a behavior for the selected Class. The Rule Flow diagram models the sequence in which a series of </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Rule Tasks</span><span class="f_BodyText"> are </span><span class="f_BodyText">executed. </span></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Add a Rule Task</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">A Rule Task is a stereotyped Action that groups Business Rules for a specific task. You create Rule Task elements in a Rule Flow diagram using the associated </span><span class="f_UIControl">Rule Flow</span><span class="f_BodyText"> pages of the Enterprise Architect UML </span><span class="f_UIControl">Toolbox</span><span class="f_BodyText">.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="ruleflowtb.png" width="169" height="176" border="0" alt="RuleFlowTB"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The following illustration is of a possible Rule Flow diagram for the car rental example.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="ruleflow.png" width="524" height="716" border="0" alt="RuleFlow"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The Rule Task elements </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Eligibility</span><span class="f_BodyText">, </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Determine Rent Payable</span><span class="f_BodyText">, </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Determine Penalty</span><span class="f_BodyText"> and </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Determine Total Amount Payable</span><span class="f_BodyText"> group the business rules for the specific task indicated by the element name. You then <a href="model_business_rules.htm">identify the business rules</a> for each group.</span></p>
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<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Notes:</span></p>
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<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><ul style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 14px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li><span class="f_TiporNoteText">In a Rule Flow diagram, every </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-style: italic;">Decision Node</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> has a matching </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-style: italic;">Merge Node</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> to ensure proper code generation.</span></li>
<li><span class="f_TiporNoteText">For code generation, the Rule Task elements must be grouped inside the appropriate Rule Flow Activity in the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Project Browser</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText">. However, </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText">Rule</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> elements can be defined anywhere in the model, as they can be used in more than one Rule Task.</span></li>
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<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="exampleprojecthierarchy.png" width="374" height="546" border="0" alt="ExampleProjectHierarchy"></p>




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